Giovanni van Bronckhorst had “every right” to criticise Michael Beale over his “bad taste” Rangers visit prior to the Dutchman’s sacking, says Derek Ferguson.

The Scottish Cup winning manager spoke to FourFourTwo (1 March) to say that he didn’t appreciate his successor’s behaviour, after Beale had appeared at Ibrox to increase links to the then-under pressure Van Bronckhorst’s job, and would never have done it himself.

Ferguson equally believes it was wrong and expects “99% of the managers out there” to feel the same.

He dismissed the excuses that Beale offered about the trip having always been planned as a return to his beloved Glasgow after coaching on Steven Gerrard’s staff for the 55th title win, and believes Van Bronckhorst was let down by the Rangers board over the whole episode, after being sacked less than a month later.

The ex-Ibrox midfielder exclusively told Ibrox News of the Beale criticism: “I absolutely agree with it. I thought it was in bad taste. Excuses came from Michael Beale that he was up there as a fan, he was invited up.

“But when you know you’re on the look-out for a job and you’ve maybe put your name forward, maybe not at that time but whether it’s been in the past, if you’ve put your name forward I don’t think it was the cleverest thing to do.

“He even went in a few pubs around the stadium. It actually was just putting pressure on Van Bronckhorst who was already struggling.

“For managers to be doing that sort of thing, I don’t think it sits well. And I would be amazed, if you were to ask 99% of the managers out there, I think they would have the same outlook as Van Bronckhorst, they would feel really disappointed.

“I just thought it was in bad taste. It didn’t sit well with me. It didn’t sit well with a number of supporters.

“He came out with a lot of statements and I was one of the ones who bought into it, but if you’re going to come up with these statements and you want one of the top jobs you’ve got to prove yourself, and that’s win games of football and league titles, and he didn’t do that.

“He promised so much and it was just disappointing. I just didn’t like it, and Van Bronckhorst had every right, in view of his comments, to feel let down by some of the board members.”

During the early months of Beale’s time in charge at Rangers when results had improved from the final throws of the Van Bronckhorst era it was easier to overlook the manner in which he arrived, despite it being a risk that not all supported at the with Ross Wilson believed to be a key driver of the move.

But after his sacking less than a year later without any trophies to his name and only a single dead-rubber Old Firm victory over Celtic it perhaps looked all the more a warning sign that had been missed.

That he somehow walked into the Sunderland job so soon after his Ibrox exit, only to be sacked again there as his bizarre burner social media account emerged, has seen Beale’s reputation take a series of hits, while Van Bronckhorst’s successful time as a player and his glorious run to the Europa League final as a manager will see him remembered far more fondly.

Rangers have thankfully come out the other side in better shape though, with Philippe Clement revitalising the club since.

In other Rangers news, a senior Light Blues man is on the brink of sealing an exit amid new claims from his agent.

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